(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-225CL-3D, MI

Coin Details

Description

Civil War store card from Detroit, Michigan, cataloged as Fuld 225CL-3D. Detroit's growing industrial economy made it a significant source of Civil War tokens, with merchants across the city issuing pieces to maintain commerce. Struck in copper-nickel, this die combination (Fuld 225CL-3D) is somewhat scarce. Although undated, this token was produced during the 1862-1864 period when federal coins disappeared from commerce. Token production was a specialized trade — die sinkers maintained catalogs of stock dies that merchants could pair with custom obverses. Federal coinage vanished from circulation after 1861 as citizens hoarded silver and copper for their metal value, leaving merchants to fill the void with tokens. The copper-nickel composition gave these tokens the closest resemblance to federal coinage of any metal variant. The cent-sized format was chosen deliberately to match the federal Indian Head cent, the coin most conspicuously absent from daily commerce.

Rarity Notes

Copper-nickel strikings are moderately scarce compared to pure copper or brass versions. With 5 cataloged varieties, this merchant was a minor token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 225CL-3D